A Promise Never Forgotten – Never Forgotten Book 2 by KaLyn Cooper

As a Marine Lieutenant Colonel, he could take on any mission and succeed. Raising his two godchildren…with her…just might kill him.

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Logan Jackson thought he was too old to start a family at forty-four, but when his two godchildren are left orphaned, he is forced to fulfill the promise he made to their parents. Accustomed to the battlefield, he’s in for a different kind of fight to keep the children from becoming wards of the state, and out of the clutches of people who want access to their inheritance. Then there’s their feisty godmother, who has relegated him to the friend zone, but he wants her so bad he’ll do almost anything to have her.

Teagan Williams can safely dangle a Jeep underneath one of the largest helicopters ever made, wrangle her Alzheimer-afflicted mother who enjoys taking walks away from her memory care unit, and yet she still finds time to enjoy her godchildren. When their mother, her best friend, is found dead, she gets the one thing she’s always wanted, a family. Among the dozens of problems that accompany the children, the biggest one is that she’s forced to share them with Logan Jackson, the best man she’d ever known in her life. She can’t allow him to be anything more than friends, though. It’s too risky.

A Promise Never Forgotten is the second full length novel in the Never Forgotten trilogy.

KaLyn Cooper does it again!

This books opens with Matthew Saint Clare and his wife Lizzie gathering the original team together before Gabe’s funeral to explain the circumstances of his death and what they have discovered.

Aside from the shock, it has them all wondering more about the Syria mission that went FUBAR.

As Marsha begins the necessary clean out of Gabe’s apartment, Matt takes the things that could possibly hold classified information for further investigation.

In order to give Marsha some uninterrupted time to clean out her home of Gabe’s belongings, Teagan and Logan have taken the children to the zoo. Matt is expected to come to help with the Gabe’s home office to take anything else they might find that is classified.

What Matt doesn’t expect is to find the door open, and Marsha dead in the office. He calls Logan to tell him not to bring the children back to the house.

Now the two small children are orphaned and Teagan has lost her best friend. As Godparents Teagan and Logan have a responsibility to Brann and Anora, one they take very seriously. However, social services may have a different idea and it’s not making things any easier.

Fortunately Teagan remembers Marsha’s will and calls her lawyer, he turns out to be quite the lifesaver.

This is a favorite scene.

When they returned, Melissa announced, “Given the wishes of Mrs. Davis as stated in her will, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia I am going to grant temporary emergency custody of Anora and Brann Davis to Teagan Williams.” She walked over and shook Mr. Keller’s hand. “I’ll see you in court.”

As she headed for the door, Detective Russo stood and called out, “I still have questions for the children.”

Melissa glanced over her shoulder. “You’ll have to get that permission from the children’s temporary guardian.” Her gaze slid to Logan and she gave him a little wink.

Damn. Melissa Cook had been looking out for them the entire time. Logan only hoped she continued to keep the best interest of the children in mind when they went to court. No matter what, though, he controlled the purse strings and would see to it that those two precious little children had the best childhood possible.

“Ms. Williams,” Detective Russo approached Teagan.

Mr. Keller reached over and touched Teagan’s forearm. “I’ve got this.” The older man stood and quickly moved between her and the detective. “The children have just suffered two traumas in a row. At ages four and seven, I doubt they have any relevant information as to who murdered their mother.”

“I haven’t changed my assessment of the incident, yet.” Detective Russo crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s still filed as a suicide.”

Incredulity washed over Ed’s face followed quickly by anger. “Marsha Davis didn’t commit suicide. Detective, you need to do your job and prove that, then go find the son of a bitch who killed her. If you truly wish to waste your time interrogating the children, you’ll need a court order to do so. I suggest you re-examine all of the facts in Mrs. Davis’s murder so you can reopen the case.”

Teagan was beaming when she stood. She looked at Ed with grateful admiration before she strode toward the door and opened it. “Detective Russo, I believe that concludes your business for today. You will not speak one word to the children, even if you see them on the street, without a court order which will be examined thoroughly by Mr. Keller. You will never speak to these children without me present.”

“You have a good day, ma’am,” Russo said through clenched teeth as he left the apartment.

Teagan shut and bolted the door closed. She practically skipped back to Mr. Keller and threw her arms around him. “Thank you. I’m so glad you were here to deal with him.” She corrected herself. “Both of them.”

Seeing Teagan in the other man’s arms sent a rush of jealousy through Logan.

What the hell? He had no reason to be envious. It wasn’t as though Teagan was his. True, Mr. Keller came charging in like a white knight and saving the damsel in distress, which was usually Logan’s job, but that was no reason for him to be resentful. He and Teagan were just good friends. He was thankful Ed had shown up.

When Teagan placed her lips on the man’s cheek, unexpected anger rose from deep inside Logan. He wanted to punch the man out.

She quickly released Ed, then launched herself at Logan.

“The kids are ours.” Her huge smile was so full of joy just before she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was as though her touch forced her happiness into him. “I was so afraid Ms. Cook was going to take them away from us, then it might be weeks or even months before I could see them again.” As he enveloped her small body, he felt her shaking.

Is she crying? Or were those happy tears? He could never tell the difference. Women always confused him. They were so emotional. He liked the feel of her body next to his.

She leaned back, grinning ear to ear. “I have children.”

He could clearly see the excitement in her eyes. Deep down, she had wanted children in her life. He could see that now. He was happy for her. Teagan would make a good mother. Logan had always thought he would make a good father, but that hadn’t happened for him.

Her face fell. “Oh, fuck, I have kids. All the time. I can’t send them back home when I get too exhausted. What the hell am I going to do with two kids?”

He couldn’t stand that look of terror in her face.

“No, we have children.” Saying the words out loud made them real.

Fuck. I have kids. What the hell am I going to do with two kids? Then he knew exactly what they would do with Anora and Brann. “We’re going to do our best. We’re going to love them every day and let them know how special they are.”

When his eyes met Teagan’s, a silent message passed between them.

They were in this… together… for at least fourteen more years.

“We can do this,” she reassured them both.

“We’re going to do this,” he volleyed back.

“You’d better not walk out on me.” Her warning made him wonder who had walked out on her before. Then she corrected herself, “I mean us. Me and the children.”

He gave her a half grin. “Marsha already committed me until Anora turns eighteen. A judge is going to make it legal and binding.” He squeezed her gently. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be there for you and the children.”

Her blue eyes darkened. “You’re one of the best men I’ve ever known in my life.” She laid her lips on his. The contact was all too brief, but he felt the shot of heat in his heart. His lips still tingled when she pulled back.

Loosening his hold on her, he gently slid her to the floor. “You have every right to be happy.” Logan glanced over at the attorney who seemed to be taking in their reactions. “And Ed is going to make sure you keep those children.”

Mr. Keller gave them a big smile. “It looks to me as though you two won’t have any problem working together. It may take a few days before we can get in front of a judge, but I’ll see what I can do to make that happen sooner rather than later.” His phone buzzed and he checked the text. “Excuse me, please, I need to call my clerk. She’s at the courthouse now.”

I love everything about this book, from the initiation of Teagan and Logan into parenthood and building romance, to the suspense and intrigue of the investigation. The added drama stemming partly from Ashley, Marsha’s sister and our knowing there is a mole in Matt’s office, just amps everything up.

I hope the wait isn’t too long for the final book in this series, I need the answers and can’t wait to see how everything plays out.

5 Contented Purrs for KaLyn!

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Twenty-two years as a military wife has shown KaLyn the world, and thirty years in PR taught her that fact can be stranger than fiction. She leaves it up to the reader to separate truth from imagination.

She, her husband, and Little Bear (Alaskan Malamute) live in Tennessee on a micro-plantation filled with gardens, cattle, and quail. When she’s not writing, she’s at the shooting range or on the river.